The present invention generally relates to a cooling process and system that can be utilized in the manufacture of extruded materials, including, for example, tubing, and electrical wire and cable having an extruded layer such as an insulation layer or a jacket.
In existing wire and cable manufacturing systems, insulation and/or jacket layers are often extruded onto the cable in the final stages of manufacturing. Cable exiting an extruder is very hot, and needs to be cooled prior to being packaged. Cooling troughs can be used to cool cable in such instances. Cooling troughs generally have a separate reservoir for cooling liquid that is placed in the floor or in a tank. The cooling liquid is pumped from the reservoir to the trough, where it is sprayed onto the cable. One example of a known cooling trough is the Davis-Standard Corporation Multi-Pass Capstan, MPC-18 (Part No. 501773). After being sprayed with cooling liquid, the cable is generally passed from the cooling trough to a drying unit, where air is blown onto the cable to dry it prior to packaging.